Aircraft cannon data
number of projectile muzzle cyclic rds throw weight cannon (round) barrels calibre weight veloc. rate 1:st 1:st weight length mm g m/s /min(s) sec. sec. kg kg m General Dynamics GAU-19/A 3 12.7 ? ? 1200 ? ? 209 Installation on MV-22 will have 750 rounds, reloadable in flight, 148 deg azimut and 70 deg elevation fields Oerlikon KAD 1 20 ? ? ? ? ? ? Armscor XC-F2 1 20 98 1030 600 10 1 39 For Rooivalk GIAT 621 1 20 98 1030 650 11 1.05 ? Used on SA.242 Gazelle and SA.365 Panther GE M197 3 20x102 98 1030 750 ? ? ? Used on AH-1 Cobra GE Vulcan II 3 20x102 98 1030 1500 ? ? Improved M197, intended for RAH-66 Comanche GE M61 6 20x102 98 1036 6000(100) 114 GE M61A1 6 20x102 98(250) 1036 6600(110) 72 7.0 120 1.88 m GE M61A2 6 20x102 93 Lighter version, faster spinup, thinner barrels.Due to spin up time of 0.3 to rate, the first 0.5 s only 20 rounds are fired. Used on many fighters.
There's also sources which say it fires 47 rounds the first second, for a throw weight of 4.6 kg. If this is correct, it might refer to time from press of trigger, and the numbers 72 (or 75) from the time the first round is fired. Or perhaps it refers to an older version.
When the barrels are rotating slowly during spin up and spin down, a few rounds (around 15 in total) are expended, but not fired as the barrels aren't clear of the aircraft structure.
A lightweight, 93 kg, version with faster acceleration is beeing made for F/A-18, F-22 and Taiwan's IDF.
There are three dispersion patterns with normal, oval and large dispersion clamps. These give 4.5 mils, 8 (height) x 38 (width) mils and 16 mils respectively.
GSh-23L 2 23x115 109? 700 3200 53 5.8 51 First used on MiG-21s The Yugoslavian version GSh-23-L-YU has a rate of 3500 rd/min. GSh-23 2 23x115 109 890 3500 58 6.3 76 Reported as having 4500 r/min in the UPK-23-250 gun pod GSh-6-23 6 23x115 109? ? 8000(133) ? ? 76 Used on MiG-31. Same ammunition as GSh-23L. Used in the SPPU-6 gun pod Oerlikon KBA 1 25x137 ? ? ? ? ? ? Aden 25 1 25x137 180 1050 1850 30 5.4 92 Planned for Harrier GR.7, intended for Hawk 200, not in service (1999). Percussion ignition. GE-225 2 25x137 180 1097 2000 33 5.9 86 Development is shelved. Externally powered it fired 750 rd/min. GE GAU-12/U 5 25x137 180 1097 4200(70) 35 6.3 125 Used on AV-8B. On the F-35 it fires at 4000 rpm only, and reloads unfired ammo back into the magazine. Mauser BK 27 1 27x145 260(516) 1025 1000/1700 28 7.4 100 Used on Gripen, Tornado and Alpha Jet, podded variant available. Time of flight to 1000 m 1.18 s, velocity at 1000 m 695 m/s. Lenght: 2310 mm, barrel 1730 mm. Centrifuge tested to 10.2G. MDHC M230 1 30 240 805 625(10) 9 2.4 ? Used on AH-64. Externally powered by a 6.5hp motor, max rate is reached in 0.2 s. Aden 30 1 30x111 800 1500 25 87 1.7 DEFA 554 1 30x113 275 840 1100/1800 30 8.3 80 Five chamber revolver. Used on Mirage 2000 and AMX. GIAT 30M791 1 30x150 275 1025 1500/2500 41 11.3 110 Seven chamber revolver. Used on Rafale. Electric ignition, automatic cocking, electrically powered revolver mechanism. 0.5 or 1 s bursts selectable. Can also fire at 300-600 rd/min. GSh-301 1 30 ? 860 1800 30 1.98 46 Revolver. Used on MiG-29 and Su-27. Rate of fire also given as 1500-1600 and muzzle velocity 660(?) m/s 2A42 1 30x164 390 1020 300/600 5-10 3.9 115 Dzerzhinets NPPU-280. Used on BMP-2, Ka-50, Mi-38 and Mi-40. Dual feed. Also reported as having 900 r/min Armscor XC-30 1 30 270 1020 900 15 4.05 85 For Rooivalk Giat 30-871 1 30x150 270 725 750 13 3.1 56 For Eurocopter Gerfaut. Externally powered. 1, 10, 25 bursts or continous. Linear action. (Is it 781?) Oerlikon KCA 1 30x173 360(890) 1050 1350 22 8.1 136 2.69 Four chamber revolver. Used on fighter Viggens. Has four charges to clear duds which goes as quick as spent cartridges + a few ms to detect. Barrel 1.98 m GSh-30 /L/K 2 30x164 390 ? 1500-1800 25-30 9.8 105/126 GSh-2-30 2 30x164 390 765 3000 50 19.5 ? Used on Su-25 and Mi-24 (with lower firing rate?) GAU-13/A 4 30x173 390 1022 2400(40) ? ? ? Pod mounted as GPU-5/A / GEPOD-30 on F-16s and F-5Es. GPU-5/A with 450 rounds weighs 717 kg. GSh-6-30 6 30 ? 850 5400(90) ? ? 145 Used on MiG-27. GAU-8 7 30x173 390 1067 2100/3500(58) ? ? 281 6.40 Used on A-10. The higher 4200 rd/min rate was deleted in the 1980s. 0.55 s to 70 rds/s. Gun+magazine+ammo 1723 kg. Oerlikon 35/1000 1 35x 1000 ? ? ? ? 450 Bofors 57mm/L50 1 57x230 2500 744 180 3 7.5 735 5.3m, barrel 2.85 m Option on Saab T 18B. Long obsolete.Single barrel linear action guns usually has a rate of 300-900 rd/min.
As you can see, during the first second, the five-barrelled Gatling only fires two rounds more than the two-barrelled gun firing the same rounds, in spite of having a cyclic rate that's more than twice as high and beeing 39 kg heavier.
Some examples of cannon fit and magazine capacity
Aircraft Gun Number of guns Ammunition (barrels) load F-14 GE M61 20 mm 1 (6) 675 F-15A-D M61 20 mm 1 (6) 950 F-15E M61 20 mm 1 (6) 512 F-16 M61 20 mm 1 (6) 515 F/A-18A/B/C/D M61 20 mm 1 (6) 570 F/A-18E/F M61 20 mm 1 (6) 400 F-4 M61 20 mm 1 (6) 640 A-7 M61 20 mm 1 (6) 1000 F-111 M61 20 mm 1 (6) 1000 (in bay, not fixed) F-104 M61 20 mm 1 (6) 725 F-22 M61 20 mm 1 (6) 480 ("With 480 rounds, the pilot has roughly five shots with the gun.") F-35 GAU-12/U 25 mm 1 (5) 182 for the CTOL version, pod for CV/CTOL holds 220 rounds. F-5E Colt M39 20 mm 2 280 F-5F M39 20 mm 1 140 A-10 GAU-8/A 30 mm 1 (7) 1174 (used to be slightly more, magazine walls thicker now) P-80 Browning M3 12.7 mm 6 x 300 = 1800 F-86A Browning M3 12.7 mm 6 x 267 = 1602 (13 s shooting) F9F Panther Hispano M3 20 mm 4 x 190 = 760 (13 s shooting) Messerschmitt 262 MK 108 30 mm 2 x 100 + 2 x 80 = 360 (8/10 s shooting) Gloster Meteor Hispano-Suiza 20 4 x 195 = 780 DH Vampire Hispano-Suiza Mk V 20 4 x 150 = 600 DH Venom Hispano-Suiza 20 4 x 150 = 600 AV-8B Har.II GAU-12/U 25 mm 1 (5) 300 Harrier GR.7 ADEN 25 25 mm 2 x ??? Can fly with one gun + one TIALD pod, this gun installation now cancelled Hawk ADEN 30 mm 1 150 (podded) (two 25 mm initially planned for Hawk 200 initially) Sea Harrier Aden 30 mm 2 x 125 = 250 Mirage IIIS DEFA 30 mm 2 x 120 = 240 Mirage F.1 DEFA 553A 30 mm 2 x 135 = 270 Mirage 2000 DEFA 30 mm 2 x 125 = 250 Rafale DEFA 30M791 30 mm 1 x 125 (two guns planned initially) A 32A Lansen Bofors 20 mm 4 x 180 (but actual warload was 4 x 80 rounds) J 32B Lansen Aden 30 mm 4 x 90 = 360 J 35A Draken Aden 30 mm 2 x 150 = 300 J 35J Draken Aden 30 mm 1 150 JA 37 Viggen Oerlikon KCA 30 mm 1 150 JAS 39 Gripen Mauser BK 27 27 mm 1 120 Tornado IDS Mauser BK 27 27 mm 2 x 180 = 360 Tornado ADV BK 27 mm 1 180 (Slightly different installation compared to IDV) AMX (Italian) M61 20 mm 1 (6) 350 AMX (Brazilian) Aden 30 mm 2 x 125 = 250 Su-24 GSh-6-23 23 mm 1 (6) 500 Su-27 GSh-30-1 30 mm 1 150 MiG-15bis N-37 37 mm 1 x 40 + NR-23 23 mm 2 x 80 (6 s shooting) MiG-17PFU 1x37 mm cannon + 2x23 mm cannons MiG-19 NR-30 30 mm 2 x 70 + 55 = 195 MiG-27 GSh-6-30 30 mm 1 (6) 260 MiG-29 GSh-30-1 30 mm 1 150 (said to be twice the needed amount) MiG-29M GSh-30-1 30 mm 1 100 MiG-31 GSh-23-6 1 (6) 260
Air to air shootdowns with guns are getting scarcer
By the USAF during Desert Storm two: Both by A-10s.USAF F-4Es in 1972: Seven, out of 14 attempts.
By the RN Sea Harriers during the Falklands war: Four in all, one Pucara, one A-4, one Hercules which had been damages by one Sidewinders and one A-4 which already was damaged by ground fire which was further damaged so it couldn't land, compared to eleven plus two damaged with Sidewinders. Additionally four helicopters were destroyede on the ground by cannon.
Israel: Six Day War, 100% (of 60), lack of dependable AAMs.
War of Attrition, 70% (of 113); missiles Shafrir 30%.
1970-73, 70% (of 34); missiles 30%.
Yom Kippur War, 30% (of 277); missiles 70%.
1973-79, 17% (of 6); missiles 83%.
1979-82, 9% (of 229; missiles 91%.
Lebanon 1982, 7% (of 85), missiles 93%.
1982-90, 0%, missiles 100% (of 3).
Airborne cannon used by the Swedish air force
Document last modified 2011 Aug 21 by Urban
Text last updated 1995 Mar 15 by Urban, apart from the M61 section which was updated 1997 June 20, BK 27 update on 1997 Dec 11, Aden 30 and details 1997 Dec 16, Rafale 2005 Jan 24, aircraft list added 1998 Nov 04, links removed 2011 Aug 21
Note that GSh-30-1 is not a revolver gun, but a single barrel, linear action gun with an amazing rate of fire, and consequently a short barrel life.
ReplyDeleteShort barrel life is not because of RPM - it is because truly bizarre light weight. This 30 mm cannon with ridiculous RPM weights only 46kg. They probably made thinner barrel to obtain such weight.
DeleteMauser BK-27 has smaller calibre, similar RPM, but weights 100 kg.
GIAT 30 for Rafale has 2500 rpm, but 120kg (Rafale does not carry DEFA)
If memory serves me, WW2 HS 20 mm cannon used on Spitfires, Hellcats etc. weighted cca 40-45 kg's. GSh-30-1 is only twice weight of aircraft version of 12,7 Browning HMG and has almost twice the RPM and higher MV.
If you look at things from that perspective, maybe someone should try to install 4 of them on some preserved Thud, Corsair or Hellcat. For research purposes. And fun.